I’m Not Doing This With A Friend Chapter 137

 

As my expression turned sour, Professor Walter shrugged his shoulders as if it had been a joke.

 

“It was a joke.”

 

“You looked like you meant it.”

 

“More to the point, what are you doing here, spying or interrogating?”

 

I deflected and said, “I was just bored, so I came.”

 

“I’m not some kind of animal you’re raising. You’re simply here because you’re bored. These days, they have no respect for their teachers.”

 

“Weren’t you the one who asked me just now if I wanted to raise you?”

 

“That’s one thing and this is another.”

 

Professor Walter pushed himself up from his sprawl on the bed.

 

“Leen. I’ve been thinking about it since I was kidnapped yesterday. Did you kidnap me to protect me from something?”

 

“What?”

 

A question mark crossed my face. I know they say imagination runs free, but I think he’s writing a little too much fiction.

 

“Why would I protect you, Professor Walter, when I can barely keep myself alive?”

 

“No offense.”

 

Taking a deep breath, I pulled up a chair and sat down.

 

It would be weird to ask about mosquitoes right away. I’d have to relax with another conversation for a few days.

 

“I have a question, Professor.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“When did you and Arcandus fall out?”

 

“I thought I answered that I wasn’t sure.”

 

“Well, you don’t know why, but you must know when things started to fall apart.”

 

“…Actually, I said I don’t know why, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a clue.”

 

His expression turned sour.

 

“You make it sound like you have no idea.”

 

“If you listen, you’ll see why I said that.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“Well. Do you know that my family is the Count of Reynos?”

 

“Wow, Professor Walter, that’s a bit of a shock to hear that you’re a nobleman.”

 

The Counts of Reynos were a family that had produced knights for generations.

 

I heard they had done quite well in the Imperial Wars in the past.

 

At my reaction, he yawned languidly and scratched his bushy head.

 

“I don’t know why, but everyone thinks I’m a commoner.”

 

As if anyone would think that.

 

“I’m guessing, but I think Barmon realized I was a noble and kept me at arm’s length, ever since I stopped by my family’s manor.”

 

“Barmon?”

 

“Ah, you said you didn’t know his real name. Arcandus.”

 

Barmon. I feel like I’ve heard that name before…

 

My eyes squinted and tried to wrap my head around it. Professor Walter spoke up, a confused look on his face.

 

“It’s strange. I wonder if he felt betrayed that I didn’t reveal my nobility first.”

 

“That would make sense.”

 

“But I didn’t think it was necessary, because to me, Arcandus was an equal.”

 

He gulped down the rest of his orange juice as if choking.

 

“Honestly, I don’t think Arcandus would push me away just because I’m a noble.”

 

“I don’t think Arcandus would push Professor Walter away for that reason either… Well, that’s certainly odd…”

 

The question was settled, but only after a major event that would cause Arcandus to turn his back on Professor Walter once and for all.

 

For example, Arcandus witnessed Professor Walter creating a demon…

 

“Anyway, that’s all I’m saying. Since then, he’s switched dorms and left the club I founded with him. He didn’t even want anything to do with me.”

 

I narrowed my eyes.

 

“The club?”

 

“Don’t you know? We founded it, me and Arcandus.”

 

“I knew Professor Walter founded it, but I didn’t realize it was with Arcandus.”

 

“Well, I’m a professor at Arena Academy, so the rumors revolve around me, and the students only know me.”

 

Professor Walter sighed heavily.

 

“Now that the whole empire is in an uproar over mosquitoes, I’m beginning to wonder if we weren’t a club that was ahead of its time. If only the mosquitoes would just die off…”

 

‘I was torn. Was that an act or the truth?’

 

“So, Professor, how did you end up creating the MoTo-Club?“

 

He answered the question as he lay back on the bed.

 

“Part of me was being playful, part of me wanted to sample the club’s hidden delights…”

 

It was a very Professor Walter idea.

 

“And I want to cure him of his blood phobia, because he freaks out at the sight of even the smallest amount of blood.”

 

I knew that Arcandus had a phobia of blood. He’d panic like he’d been traumatized.

 

“So, did it work?”

 

“A little. He was able to see the blood that comes out when a human kills a mosquito.”

 

“…I see.”

 

I glanced at the clock and realized it was almost time to head back to the lab.

 

“My time for a break is up, so I should probably get going.”

 

I rose from my chair and was about to leave the room when Professor Walter jumped to his feet and called out to me urgently.

 

“Leen.”

 

Fumbling with my hand on the doorknob, I turned my head to look at him.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Are you still in contact with Professor George by any chance?”

 

Barely able to contain my expression from momentarily freezing, I blurted out.

 

“…Why do you ask?”

 

“He suddenly left the academy before the semester started. He disappeared without a word to me.”

 

Professor Walter’s expression darkened.

 

“I’ve been unable to reach him, not even by visiting his home or sending him a letter.”

 

Ahh…

 

“I’m just wondering, since Professor George cared so much for you.”

 

My eyes wavered as I looked at him.

 

Professor Walter’s face couldn’t possibly be faking, it belonged to someone genuinely concerned.

 

🍃 

 

Barmon was unhappy.

 

Of course, he wasn’t always miserable.

 

He had parents who raised him with love. He was also born with a huge amount of mana in his body, and everyone around him said he would become an archmage.

 

“I prefer alchemy to magic…”

 

His parents were fully supportive of their son’s dream.

 

“Barmon, do what you want to do and live your life, no matter what anyone says.”

 

But his happiness was hard to sustain.

 

Not when he was born, not when he discovered his talent for alchemy, and not when he continued to grow in his knowledge.

 

Abascanthus and Lagras were at war.

 

The longer the war dragged on, the more desperate the country became for even the smallest amount of power.

 

So, hearing rumors, the imperial family of Lagras sought to capture Barmon.

 

He had just turned seven years old.

 

Unable to let go of their beloved son, his parents took him into exile in Abascanthus.

 

The escape was successful.

 

However, this choice would lead to even greater misfortune for Barmon.

 

Settling in a small town that seemed far removed from the war, the family lived in a small hut made of logs.

 

It was cramped, but the family was happy to be united.

 

But their happiness was short-lived.

 

They had been settled in the village for less than three months.

 

There was an intruder in their peaceful little village. The village was in the path of the Lagras Imperial Army.

 

“Kill them without sparing a single ant! No information must be leaked that we have traveled here!”

 

At the hands of Lagras’s soldiers, the people of Abascanthus died in great numbers.

 

Unable to resist, they perished.

 

Barmon’s mother shoved him under the bed, urging him.

 

“Stay here, don’t make a sound, and if you hear anything, pretend you didn’t hear it. Do you understand, Barmon?”

 

“Uh, Mom…”

 

“Son, I love you.”

 

His mother smiled almost tearfully and kissed Barmon on the forehead.

 

Then the things that would cover Barmon’s tiny body were shoved heavily under the bed.

 

He curled up in the darkness and hoped it was a dream.

 

Desperately, fervently. But his prayers fell on deaf ears.

 

Bang—!

 

“Let the search begin.”

 

Lagras’s soldiers burst through the door and into his home.

 

Thud, thud—

 

Tap, tap, tap—

 

The sound of footsteps, made by the crunch of military boots and worn wooden floors, drew closer to where Barmon and his mother were.

 

Spotting his mother, the knight spoke up.

 

“I’ll take care of this place, you search elsewhere.”

 

“Understood!”

 

The supposed subordinate left, and there was a moment of silence.

 

It was Barmon’s mother who broke the silence.

 

“Sir, my husband and I are from Lagras.”

 

“…And?”

 

“Unlike the Abascanthus, you can tell by the light color of our hair. My name is Rina, and my husband’s name is Neil. Have you ever seen such short names in Abascanthus? I can give you other evidence as well, so believe me, please…”

 

But the knight’s expression was cruel and cold as he looked at her.

 

“I don’t care if you are a Lagras or not. If you wanted the protection of the Lagras military, you shouldn’t have left your homeland.”

 

As the man finished speaking, there was the sound of something being pierced.

 

She swallowed the terrible pain soundlessly, wondering if her son would be startled by her screams.

 

A puddle of red water formed on the worn wooden floor.

 

Barmon’s tears fell like rain, but he kept his mouth shut, as his mother had told him, and didn’t make a sound.

 

But was hiding too easy?

 

Or perhaps he could hear the maddening thumping of his heart.

 

The knight who had killed Barmon’s mother searched every inch of the room, and finally reached under the bed.

 

One by one, the knight began to pull out the luggage stuck under the bed.

 

Eventually, Barmon, hiding under the bed, made eye contact with the knight.

 

A stifling silence descended.

 

Barmon was too frightened to speak to save his life. He just stared at the knight with tears streaming down his face.

 

The knight looked at him wordlessly.

 

He was in anguish. As a soldier, he knew he shouldn’t mix personal feelings.

 

The image of his son in Lagras and the child shivering at the foot of his bed overlapped.

 

It was then.

 

“Lord Reynos, is there something there?”

 

At the sound of the voice calling to him, the man who had been locking eyes with Barmon looked up from his lowered position.

 

“Nothing.”

 

Brushing the dust from his clothes, Reynos turned to his subordinate.

 

“Have you searched everywhere else?”

 

“We searched everywhere but this room and found an adult male, whom we killed immediately.”

 

Reynos glanced nonchalantly at Barmon’s mother, who had become his main weapon.

 

“One female and one male. Two dead in total. This house is cleared.”